I love the new neuro plasticity research and I am currently posting a tip a day to grow your brain on my Facebook page… https://www.facebook.com/Createthelifeyouwanttolive like my page and get it in your newsfeed!

If you are not a Facebooker then I will be post them here (I just have been through a techno challenging time and this blog got a little neglected….)

enjoy! Gay

The clinic has been so busy lately, I once again have been a little remiss in keeping this up to date…..

Here is my aticle from this months ezine, i hope you enjoy it.

Feeling Stuck and Disconnected? Try these Strategies for Whole-Hearted Living

by Gay Landeta

The human brain has long mystified science by defying all the usual medical mechanical understandings. Finally, now, after years of observation and experimentation we are beginning to unearth its workings.

Early work identified the brain as consisting of two sides, the right and left brain, with the creative processes attributed to the right and the more logical and rational processes delegated to the left lobes. The right and left brain theory is one that most of us have heard however the model now emerging, as a result of the latest research, is of a much more complex and holographic brain. 

The latest findings in the field of neural plasticity show a multi-faceted construction that is capable of growing and changing during our entire lifetime. This ability to grow and change gives enormous hope to anyone suffering from brain injury of any type or, more importantly, for anyone who just wants to use their brain more effectively. However, this ability to change is also our undoing because it appears our brain records new learning, quite indiscriminately, indelibly into our neural links.

It really does seem that the old adage use it or lose it is absolutely true, in every way! So how can we develop a better ability to use the skills our brain offers us? And how can we lose that which we no longer want or need?

I propose approacing life in a ’whole-brained, whole-hearted’ way. In my experience this means it is easier to retain more of what I chose and maintain a more balanced perspective. Instead of becoming obsessive to stay focused or existing with anxiety our nervous system can relax. A whole-brain approach to life opens us to the opportunity to live life whole-heartedly. 

Here are some strategies that will encourage whole-brain connections:

• Movement: 

Movement has been shown to significantly activate the brain, however the movements that grow new neural pathways are not repetitive ones but specific and deliberate developmental movements. The Brain Gym® activities recall the developmental movements naturally done during the first years of life when we are learning to coordinate the eyes, ears, hands, and whole body. They can dramatically help concentration, focus and memory, organizational skills, attitude and physical coordination amongst much more.

Yoga, martial arts, chi gung, tai chi and other movement programs of ancient lineage have a long history of balancing the body, mind and spirit. 

Try using both sides of the body to engage both sides of the brain, especially if you are a very one-sided kind of person.  Try using your non-dominant hand to do some day to day tasks or let your non-dominant foot take the lead.

•  Do something new:

The process of figuring out something new switches on new neural pathways. If you are anxious about learning it may be memories of learning challenges (remember, that brain is our strength and our weakness!) that are stopping you. Experiment with new ways to learn and if it is still difficult get some emotional release work done to let go of the pain. We each have a very unique learning style which schools rarely cater to. Finding our comfortable learning style really does make learning easy.

Learn a foreign language or music. These are shown to increase brain capacity although they must be done for 5 years to really cement in those increased neural pathways.

 Draw, dance, paint or pursue another creative avenue. The process of learning combined with the fine and gross motor skill development is a great brain workout.
Be comfortably competitive with yourself (or others). Again this involves trying new tactics, practicing and using your neural pathways. And ever notice that excited, yet satisfied feeling when you compete and win? That is your brain wide- awake.

• Look after yourself:

Eat well. This sounds obvious but more and more good nutrition is being shown to be vital to good brain usage. Enough protein, complex carbs, good fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and nut butters, vitamins and minerals are essential. Protein is important in every meal and if you are vegetarian ensure you understand how to combine foods to get all your amino acids. And go organic if you can. Fish oils and multi-vitamins are useful supplements but check with a professional before you spend too much, find out what your body needs. 

 Drink water. Generally it is recommended to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. That is the very minimum for most of us. Sipping rather than gulping a glass down when you remember means less trips to the toot so fill up a bottle and just aim to finish it by the end of the day. Be aware that once you get thirsty you are already dehydrated. Aim to never be thirsty.

 Meditate. Slow it right down. The frontal cortexes of regular meditators are consistently more developed.

 Mindfully engage in boring repetitive tasks. Think about each step. Approaching life mindfully, ie being aware of each moment, is a type of moving mediation. See meditate for the benefits!

 Stay away from too much TV, or other zone-out activities. These can be great de-stressors but used in excess they can numb the brain. The zoned out comfort zone is not whole-brained nor whole-hearted.  

• Finally, keep the energy flowing:

Get regular tune-ups to keep the energy flowing. We service the car to make sure it runs properly and yet we often don’t do it for ourselves. Make sure you do for yourself the things you need to do to keep running well, we all know how much it costs to repair a badly maintained vehicle!

Some people can live on beer and cigarettes till they are 103, it’s true, but most of us have a constitution that is a little more sensitive. I use complimentary therapies such as kinesiology (of course!), acupuncture and massage (especially Thai and Kahuna) to maintain my balance and add others as needs be. Find what works for you and make it a priority.

Pro-actively choose to keep moving and clear blocks. When we are stuck we are not whole, there is a part of us not ready to move. Practice having faith in our natural inclination to whole-ness. Relax into knowing what you know, be open to what you don’t know and keep taking steps forward. 

By taking a whole-brained, whole-hearted approach you will find that either the aspect that is stuck will unstick, or else what you need to do to unstick it will become obvious. Or else you might just come to a place of peace with where you are. Whatever happens maintaining your intention to whole-ness will help you find it. 

Resolve for the month…. I choose Whole-ness in my approach to life!

© Gay Landeta 2011. All rights retained.

Here is my Ezine article for February – already had feedback from folks loving the process. Hope you enjoy it!

Gay

Create your Outcome : Discover what you did  

 by Gay Landeta

 All too often we spend countless hours trying to figure out how to achieve what we want. Trying to figure out what needs to happen and how can we make it happen. We start to worry and end up feeling stressed and ultra focused on outcome.

But trying doesn’t work, regardless of what anyone says. Even trying your best doesn’t work.. don’t believe me? Try to pick up that pencil. Nope, I didn’t say pick it up I said try. Try your hardest. Keep trying..

Notice what happened? You just put all your energy and focus into picking up that pencil but you did not pick it up. Nothing happened. It just sat there regardless of how hard you tried. You failed in achieving what you wanted. You didn’t pick up that pencil. Because you were trying, not doing.

So what about doing? Have a go at it. Just do it. Pick up the pencil. Sure you picked it up but now what? Doing is certainly important but a why will take us to a whole new level.  Do we want to feel the weight of it in our hand? To chew on while we think? Do we want to practice a magic trick? To draw or write..

Now imagine starting with a goal. “I want to pick up the pencil and draw that seedpod.” You begin to know the steps involved. You need to set up the seed pod, have a drawing pad and the right type of pencil. You might need some lighting and a glass of water, maybe a snack. Trouble is your mind might stop you. “But I am not so good at drawing”

So what if, instead of thinking about the outcome from before you start, you think about it from after you finished? What was it was like to draw? “I picked up a pencil and drew the seedpod. I captured the energy of the pod in my drawing and I loved doing it. First I handled the seedpod and looked at it, started to feel it and decided on using a fat pencil to draw it, etc.”

The end result will be more in line with what you want because you took the time to decipher how it would happen. You will be less likely to berate yourself for not being able to draw because you described drawing a way you knew you could. We are all hyper-aware of our limitations. Taking time to discover what you did means you can adjust for your perceived limitations, figure out what needs to happen to compensate for them or what steps need to happen so they can be overcome.

This works for things you already know how to do but also for things you don’t know how to do but want to – it is also great way to explore your goals for the year. 

If you aren’t sure what your goals are then call me on 07 3255 0099 - a session may be all you need to get you on your way to Creating the Life you want to Live!

have a great month!

Gay

copyright Gay Landeta 2011 do not reproduce without express permission of the author.

cheers, Gay

Many people have heard of the 4 stages of learning - if you haven’t here’s a precis from Wikkipedia:

   1. Unconscious Incompetence : The individual neither understands nor knows how to do something, nor recognizes the deficit, nor has a desire to address it. (We don’t know what we don’t know).

   2. Conscious Incompetence : Though the individual does not understand or know how to do something, he or she does recognize the deficit, without yet addressing it. (We know we don’t know but we aren’t ready to address it yet).

   3. Conscious Competence : The individual understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires a great deal of consciousness or concentration. (You are beginning to be able to do it but it is not yet easy).

   4. Unconscious Competence : The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it becomes “second nature” and can be performed easily (often without concentrating too deeply). He or she may or may not be able teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned. (It is now easy and maybe you can even teach others).

I invite you to think about anything you have learnt in your life you will see you went through each of these stages. For example remember learning to drive: At first you thought once you turned 17 it would be easy – jump in, release the brake and go. You didn’t know what you didn’t know.

Then you turned 17 and tried to do just that – you then realised that it took a little more skill than you expected. You then knew that you didn’t know how to drive and started to think about how you would learn.

Next you started to learn how to do it. Put the keys in the ignition, look in the mirror, take off the clutch….. it was hard work until finally it became such second nature that these days you sometimes wonder how you got home – Right?

(If you don’t drive I am sure you can relate this model to something else you once had no idea how to do but now do with ease.)

So this is all very well if (a) you want to learn that skill and (b) you feel reasonably confident about being able to learn it.

But what happens when you are stressed or have a history of difficulty learning something new – or just plain old hate new things?

Those 10 lessons to getting your licence become 25 or 50 or the number of failed tests start mounting up…. and what about all the stuff you don’t even try?

A google search showed something interesting… On one hand a driver who failed 10 times 10 years ago but has been driving safely (if illegally) since tries to get her licence yet again. Despite her confidence on the road, her self-confessed nerves and mental demons made her fail yet again.

On the other hand there is the Grandmother who wasn’t daunted by failing her written test 960 (!) times - she only took 10 practical exams to get her licence, despite never having a lesson. She was quite obviously not stressed by her performance and just focused on the end result.

These two people demonstrate two different ways to shift from the state of Conscious Competence (stage 3 – learning) to Unconcious Competence (stage 4 – learnt).

Brain Gym and Educational Kinesiology (something I have been teaching and using for more than 15 years) teases apart the different ways we can learn. It offers a model to use to gauge whether you are learning easily and then, if not, supplies tools to transform the learning experience into a more effective (and even enjoyable!) experience.   

Let’s explore this model by considering the easy and comfortable way of moving from learning to learnt first. We call this experience INTEGRATED LEARNING. Integrated learning has two steps, when we are comfortable and excited about learning we move from Integrated Low Gear (learning) into Integrated High Gear (learnt).

Integrated High Gear is automatic, Unconscious Competence (stage 4). It is that easy ‘got it’ place where we have learnt what we needed to learn and feel comfortable and competent.

Integrated Low Gear is a little less comfortable because it is challenging, but in a way that keeps us engaged. This is our learning space where we are slowly ‘getting it’. To learn something new, process and then remember we must be able to easily access this state of being. 

These two ways of being – Integrated High Gear and Integrated Low Gear would ideally be the way we approach every aspect of our life and is, in fact, our birthright. How else did we learn to walk! However, circumstances of learning and life create stress and this stress, whether we unconscious of it or don’t know how to manage it, results in what we call UNINTEGRATED LEARNING. Once again we have a High Gear and a Low Gear.

So what does this look like? Unintegrated Low Gear is the state of being where we feel like we are are really ‘not getting it’. We keep doing things over and over, perhaps getting the process done but without any understanding of what we are doing. It becomes very hard to remember anything when it is being done without understanding. 

Unintegrated High Gear on the other hand is the ‘lost it’ place. It all just feels impossible, never going to happen. We give up learning once we are in this place. Again no place for memory here.

Sadly, all too often, our Unintegrated Learning experiences outweigh our Integrated Learning experiences and we start to live our life from this uncomfortable and stress filled place. We constantly move from working really hard but not really getting anywhere to giving up in frustration. Not a happy way of being.

The good news is that the first step out of this stressful way of living is recognising that there is another way. It is as simple as learning to identify when we are in an Unintegrated space and then discovering what gets us back into Integrated High Gear (that automatic, comfortable and joyful space). And then taking the stress out of learning so we can access Integrated Low Gear easily – thereby being able to approach and stressful situations in a measured, optimistic and interested way. 

Natural movement is one key to an Integrated approach to life. Sometimes getting out of the Unintegrated and into the Integrated space is as simple as going for a walk, having a breath of fresh air or taking your eyes for a walk in nature instead of on the ubiquitous screen. Othertimes you need more serious intervention!

I invite you to explore these concepts for a month. Notice when you are approaching something new do you feel like you can comfortably ‘get it’ over time or does that place feel difficult to impossible?

When you are getting ‘stuff’ done do you approach it mindfully and with interest or is it just another box on the to do list to tick?

And is your anchor place – the place you return to within yourself – a place of ease and enjoyment or one of stress, overwhelm and hard work?  

If you find that anchor place is not longer – or never has been – a place of ease and enjoyment find something that transforms you and enables you to return to that peaceful place once again.

©Gay Landeta2010

I am back from holidays and, as usual, there is so much admin catch-up to do while feeling just a tad lagged and distracted. I put into place a timed process that is a great way to stay focused and get stuff done for when a limited attention span is an issue. It helps to engage the thinking processes so paying attention happens naturally. I thought I would share it….

Start by listing the jobs to be done, eg today mine look like:

catch up pile
finalise BAS
sort out spare room stuff
clear emails
finalise client records
blog

then add 10 / 20 / 30 after each one. It will now look like:

catch up pile 10 / 20 / 30
finalise BAS 10 / 20 / 30
sort out spare room stuff 10 / 20 / 30
clear emails 10 / 20 / 30
finalise client records 10 / 20 / 30
blog 10 / 20 / 30

Now just do each item in order for 10 minutes, then back to the top of the list to do each item for 20 minutes, then back again to the top of the list to do each item for 30 minutes. Cross off each time code as you get to them ie my list looks like this right now:

catch up pile 10 / 20 / 30
finalise BAS 10 / 20 / 30
sort out spare room stuff 10 / 20 / 30
clear emails 10 / 20 / 30
finalise client records 10 / 20 / 30
blog 10 / 20 / 30

And, if you get an item done before the time is up then you can just cross off the whole item and move on!

This is a great way to work through an overwhelming list… I think this months ezine will be on this and other ways to handle overwhelm. If you are not yet signed up go to http://gaylandeta.com.au/sign-up/ to do so.

Here’s to getting stuff done!

Gay

.

Wow. One of my young clients Mum just rang to let me know that the Neurospecialist in his hospital assessment this week told her that the only thing that could be stopping him from falling into intellectual impairment is his work with me using Brain Gym and Kinesiology. It has definitely changed his way of thinking and processing.

I am looking forward to seeing the official report!

Smilingly yours!

gay

During September I spent 4 days exploring and balancing early developmental movement patterns with Carol Ann Erikson, a Brain Gym movement expert from the states. As a coach of high level athletes (including those of Olympic standards) she has explored movement intimately and through working with her other love – kids of all ages including those with profound difficulties – she has seen firsthand the impact that exploring and developing physical skills has on the ability to learn.

Movement is fundamental to easy learning, joy in living and fun!

************************

MOVE AND GROW

by Gay Landeta

For many years the link between movement and learning was not widely recognised. However as we have become a more and more sedentary people, academic and experiential research have linked these two; with the Primitive Reflexes and early developmental movements being recognised as especially important.

What are Primitive Reflexes?

These are our earliest survival reflexes and emerge either in utero or in early infant-hood. They should be fully integrated by about a year to make room for the postural reflexes, the ones that help us to stand upright.

Our ability to move, our perception of the world, our language and how we make sense of the world is built upon the emergence and subsequent integration of these early reflexes. Only after the successful integration of these, can higher functioning, for example, relationships and academic learning, become natural and stress free.

Unintegrated Reflexes can cause havoc, consider the following situation:

James was age 14 and in grade 10. He presented for his appointment defiant and unsure. James was having difficulties at school, he had been bullied when younger but now seemed to be the one bullying.

He had a troublemaker tag and was often caught in the middle of a fight. In the middle of our consultation a door suddenly slammed. James leapt backwards, arms out stretched, eyes wide open, swearing like a trooper. He had just exhibited a fully developed Moro reflex, the primitive startle reflex that babies exhibit up to the age of 4 months.

James’ troublemaker image and self esteem difficulties grew from the fights he started while in the locker bays. Fights he denied starting. The jarring sound of locker doors slamming activated the Moro reflex. James’ arms would then spring open and the cry he would have made as an infant became uncontrollable swearing. This guaranteed a reaction from others that often developed into a fight.

The Moro reflex, one of the Primitive Reflexes, is the infants fight or flight response to danger. It should have emerged at about 9 weeks in utero and have been fully developed and integrated by 2 – 4 months of life. It then becomes replaced by the adult startle response where it it possible to stop and discern if the noise has an element of danger to it and only then react.

James’ unintegrated Moro Reflex meant he was physically and emotionally being put into fight or flight survival mode by every loud noise he experienced.

In James’ case a quick birth and infantile illness had combined leaving the Moro reflex together with several other early reflexes ‘stuck’ in his system. He could operate ‘normally’ only when he was totally relaxed. The stress of high school combined with the teenage hormones meant that this rarely happened. He was constantly ready for the sabre tooth tiger to attack!

A few sessions enabled his system to rewire itself and integrate the reflexes into the soon to be adult system. Instead of continually trying to contain himself, James gained real control over his emotions and outbursts. His self esteem improved, his learning became easy and his results improved and he was once again able to be his own wonderful self.

Our body is a miraculous thing, it can learn to deal with almost anything. But often through compensation.

Many of us have some incomplete early development patterns that leave us vulnerable to stress. Most of the time we compensate, until we hit enough stress for that compensation to collapse.

Sometimes you can see this physically, for example in someone who is normally coordinated who starts bumping into things when they are tired or stressed.

Emotionally we can say or do things we later regret. Old emotional issues emerge and our health can start to decline. Our thoughts and feelings become conflicted and learning anything new becomes at best difficult.

The miracle of movement…

We all know a good walk often calms down the most emotional issue – but if unintegrated reflexes are the cause then they will continue to stop us from accessing our full potential anytime we hit our particular stress wall.

By discovering which early movements are blocked, where the difficulties lie and then fully exploring them we can help them to become integrated and life becomes far more easy and joyful.

One way to do this is through a Movement Education Balance – I invite you to come in and enjoy one. They are fun and suitable for all ages and all goals….

Look forward to seeing you soon!

That’s all for now..

Cheers, Gay

STUDY BETTER – LIFE SKILLS FOR US ALL!
by Gay Landeta

Did you know that there are 5 fundamental elements that affect each individual
when they study…. and those elements expand out into about 21 different
variables. Not each of those 21 is important for each person – but somewhere
between 6 – 14 significantly affect study results.

So that means that by determining those that are significant to you and making
appropriate changes your ability to study will improve and so will your
results.

The five elements that affect ease in learning are: environmental, emotional,
sociological (how we interact with others), physical and psychological.

Earlier in the month I published a blog that explored the environmental
elements and some of the physical and psychological aspects. By now you should
have an idea about several areas that are significant for you, such as how
much light you need, how noisy you like it, how warm or cool suits you,
whether you prefer a desk or something more informal. Even a hard or soft
chair can make a significant difference.

You should also have an idea about your learning style, whether your challenge
is putting the details into the big picture or vice versa. And, once you try
different tactics, what your primary learning tool is; your eyes, ears, hands
or your whole body.

Next area to look to is the emotional element – do you like to study for long
periods of time or do you have a short attention span? If long choose one
subject to focus on at a time, perhaps a whole study session.

If short then change study focus often. Generally we can focus for about 20
minutes at a time, often kids only manage 5 or 10 minutes. Use a timer or
download an application on the computer.

Some people learn better when they do several things at once. I always
remember my dad filling in his tax return while watching sport, reading a book
and painting a picture – he needed to do all those things to stay focused and
finish his tax. Me, I felt slightly crazy watching all that happening.

Other important aspects include how you like to get your information – do you
prefer an authority like a teacher telling you or to find the answers by
working with a partner? Perhaps you prefer tossing ideas around in a group?

Modify your study by finding a study partner or joining – or creating – a
study group or express interest in what exactly your
child learnt today, get them to show you.

The final few factors include whether you like to eat or drink while studying
and whether your preference and energy for learning is for morning, afternoon
or evening.

Once you know the best time for you just schedule it in. And, while not
important for many, eating for some helps focus. For example I found celery or
other crunchy stuff made a difference to how well I integrated what I was
learning.

What results can you achieve through spending time on these questions? One of
my clients recently discovered that two very bright desk lamps, a big empty
desk top, a hard chair, an open door to the rest of the house and short study
bursts has helped her study enormously.

Another discovered that all he had to do was listen to lectures to remember,
fortunate as reading the texts took more time than he had.

Hopefully this has given you a few clues on getting more out of your study.
Brain Gym is another great support…. call me if you need any help making your
study more effective or more fun!

Wishing you great studying.

Gay
==========================================

Use this check list to clarify some of your personal preferences in study:

ENVIRONMENT
light : bright / dim
design : formal (desk) / informal (floor, bed, other table)
chair : hard / soft
temperature : warm / cool
noise : quiet / music / ambient noise eg household chatter

EMOTIONAL
time : long periods / short bursts
subjects : one focus / variety

SOCIOLOGICAL
study companions : teacher or tutor / partners / groups / on own

PHYSICAL
intake : eat / drink / nothing (except water of course)
time of day : morning / afternoon / evening
preferred learning style : visual / auditory / tactile / kinesthetic

PSYCHOLOGICAL
learner preference : global / analytical

==========================================

This Month’s Resolve : Make learning fun! Stressed learners can’t remember.

I thought a few hints about how to get better study results timely with school back this week and Uni and Tafe next….

Did you know that each individual has a preferred learning and study style and that knowing what yours will improve your study results immensely? Here are 7 key areas that can be addressed easily and, if you want to know more, catch my next edition of Resolve – sign up at gaylandeta.com.au/sign-up/ to make sure you don’t miss it!

Firstly make sure your environment suits you, check areas such as:

Sound : some people like silence – others music, often baroque (eg Mozart), natural ambient music or indigenous sounds. Kids especially benefit from 20 minute cycles of silence and music.
Design : some people really like a traditional desk and chair. Others prefer more informal settings including lying down on the bed or sitting outside in nature. Some people even read or study better when they are walking around or bouncing on a trampoline or fitness ball!
Light : some poor readers read better in low light! Contrary to what our mothers told us we won’t lose our eyesight reading in the dark.
Temperature : do you like to be warm or cool? For some the wrong temperature will turn off the whole cognitive processes.
Time of day : everyone has their own natural rhythm. For some mornings are the best, others afternoons and for some evenings. Discerning the best time to study and sticking to that can make a big difference to retention rate.

Are you global or analytical? Each style has its own way of learning, if you are analytical true / false tests or questions asking for details are the easiest; however for the global thinker test questions such as ‘give me your opinion’ or those wanting the general theme are the easiest.

Global thinkers can think analytically but they tend to need the big picture of how everything fits first. If you are a global thinker make sure you know why you are doing the study and what you are looking for before you start to help you to focus on the details and put them into place.
You analytical thinkers are just made for academic study, you often like to accumulate ideas for the sake of it! Analytical thinkers can think globally they just start analytically. It is important to reflect on what you have learnt and how it fits into the bigger picture for it to become transferrable learning that can be applied in other situations.

VATK – what is your primary learning style? Visual, Auditory, Tactile or Kinesthetic? Each of these learning styles has its own tricks to enhance learning. Once you identify your primary ones and use the associated study skills you will learn more easily and remember better.

Visual – You need to see what you are learning. Make notes, use coloured pens and paper and highlighters, organise via colour and visualise your answers.
Auditory – You need to hear what is being taught. Mouth the words, read aloud, record (with permission) lectures and talk about what you have learnt with someone.
Tactile – You like to fiddle while you learn. Use your finger or a highlighter on your notes, hold a tactile object like a stress ball or blue tack and keep your notes on index cards so you can reorganise them easily to help you remember. Keep your fingers active.
Kinesthetic – You like to move! Stand up while learning, rock or walk while studying, get a fitness ball to sit on, take frequent breaks and keep your body active to stay alert and study effectively.

Read more in my ezine, published at the end of the month and, in the meantime, happy studies!

Gay